Void in My Life
by Strife667
Summary: Since The Joker's death, Bruce's life had felt... strange. Why does it feel so strange? Does the Dark Knight actually... miss the Joker?


**I did say I'd likely go on hiatus. However, since this was a small story I saw no reason to delay it.**

**Anyway, this is my first Batman fanfic. I've always been a fan of the dark knight himself and this idea had been burning in my mind for a while.**

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Bruce Wayne sat near his fireplace, seemingly staring into the fire as if it were the only thing in the world that mattered. In the fire, he was reliving all of the terrible crimes caused by who may have very well been his greatest foe… The Joker.

Of all of the Dark Knight's foes, very few caused him more trouble than the Clown Prince of Crime himself. Ever so often, the devious clown would try some hair brained scheme, just to get Batman's attention more often than not. After that, The Joker would have some fun with the caped crusader. After all was said and done, vicious cycle would continue. That was, until the day the Joker died. Killed by Tim Drake, who was warped into a mini Joker at the time.

As Bruce was staring at his fireplace, all he could hear was laughing… laughing… just none stop laughing. It was almost as if the Joker was still laughing at him, even in death. All Bruce could feel was dread, anger, hatred and… something else. Something that felt almost alien to him, something that he didn't know how to describe.

"Everything alright, sir?" Said a soft voice. As if on cue, Bruce's faithful butler, Alfred, walked in, his expression looking concerned.

Bruce himself gave a soft sigh. "It's strange." He said. "Almost... funny, in a way. You know as well as I do, Alfred, that I've hated The Joker. Point in fact, I downright wanted to break him in half after what he did to Tim. Yet…"

"Yet what sir?" Alfred asked, curious as can be.

"I can't help but miss him." Bruce solemnly said.

Alfred eyes went wide after that. Of all the things Bruce might have said, the faithful butler certainly wasn't expecting that. "Miss him, sir?"

"Believe me, I'm just as surprised that I said that as you are. I keep expecting him to appear at any moment. It's already been a year now, and I'm still stopping all of Gotham's most lethal criminals. That is, except you know who. It… just feels strange, if anything."

From there, Alfred wore his usual indifferent expression, as if he finally understood the situation.

"Well, I'm no psychiatrist sir, but I think I see the situation. The trick is, whether you would like to accept it or not, this Joker fellow has become apart of your routine. As he may put it himself, he starts trouble, you show up. He'll have some laughs and the fun starts all over again. Now that he's passed on, he left a void in your routine. A void in your life even. Doe that make sense sir?"

"I guess so." Bruce indifferently said. "Which then brings up another question. Now that the Joker's gone, does Gotham really need Batman?"

"That sir, I leave up to you." Without another word, Alfred exited, leaving Bruce to contemplate.

Bruce thought for a moment. Alfred wasn't too far from the truth; The Joker had indeed left his mark in the millionaire/vigilante's life. He may not have been the reason for becoming Batman, but the diabolical clown had become a part of his life. Could there be a Batman without a Joker? After all, it was the latter's sick twisted mind that brought out the best in Batman.

The brooding millionaire then remembered that those sick antics nearly got him and his loved ones killed several times, and most of it was just for laughs to satisfy The Joker's sick sense of humor. For that, he could at least take comfort that the clown was gone. After all, there were still other roaches that infested Gotham. With that, Bruce knew he couldn't stop being Batman just because some clown croaked. Determination then took over where confusion and dread once festered.

_I am vengeance… I am the knight… I am Batman._

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**That's it for this one. I know this is a large fanbase full of die hard fans so let me just be clear...these are just my personal thoughts and opinions about how Batman **_**MIGHT **_**handle the Joker's death. With that, if you find yourself not agreeing with me, I understand, and totally respect your opinion. All I ask is for you to respect mine. After all, there's no point in starting a flame over something so trivial.**

**With that in mind, please feel free to review, I hope you enjoyed.**


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